Officials pose for a photo at the delivery ceremony of the multipurpose vessel Peros Banhos. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] 

A ceremony was held in Rongcheng, a county-level city in Weihai, Shandong province on Dec 19 to mark the delivery of the multipurpose vessel Peros Banhos to Mauritius.

Built by Huanghai Shipbuilding Co, the 8,200-metric-ton vessel has a length of 115.7 meters and a width of 20 meters and will be used to transport goods between the main island of Mauritius and surrounding islands.

Tang Zhongdong, counselor of the African Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at the ceremony that the delivery of the vessel signifies the start of a new era of cooperation between China and Mauritius, and will help foster closer ties between the two countries.

The multipurpose vessel Peros Banhos. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] 

Li Hong, deputy director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee, said that there is great potential for marine economy collaboration between the Chinese province and Mauritius as the latter has abundant oceanic resources.

Zhao Baogang, vice-mayor of Weihai, said that the new vessel not only marks a new milestone in Weihai's cooperation with African countries but is also an important achievement in terms of facilitating infrastructure connectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative in Africa.

Mauritian ambassador to China Marie Roland Alain Wong Yen Cheong said that the vessel will further enhance connectivity between various islands in Mauritius and promote deepened cooperation between the two sides in the maritime economy.